


Prince and Knight

by Kamil_the_Awesome



Series: Don't Stop the March of Time [1]
Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Memory Alteration, Set Post R1, The Black Rebellion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29979990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamil_the_Awesome/pseuds/Kamil_the_Awesome
Summary: The Black Rebellion is over. The Holy Britannian Empire prepares to celebrate this fortunate victory. Even so, Cornelia li Britannia does not feel at ease, especially when her father introduces two new figures to court.
Relationships: Cornelia li Britannia & Gilbert G.P. Guilford, Kouzuki Kallen & Lelouch Lamperouge | Lelouch vi Britannia
Series: Don't Stop the March of Time [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176302
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Prince and Knight

Cornelia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, glanced across the spacious, extravagant ballroom at Schneizel el Britannia, her half brother and the Second Prince, for the fifth time that night. He was speaking with some nobleman who had fled Area 11 in the wake of the Black Rebellion, likely seeking to convince the man to return. The past month had been a frustrating one, given the aftermath of that brutal, bloody night. She knew that without the timely emergence of the _Siegfried_ , her brother’s maneuverings, and Euphy’s knight, she would’ve become the prisoner of Zero and Area 11 could very well be the United States of Japan at this moment.

Instead, they were victorious and Zero had been defeated.

_Though at what cost?_ Cornelia wondered, sipping from her goblet. The wine was one Euphy had favored, and the flavor reminded her once more of what most dear to her was lost in that terrible land where too much royal blood was spilled. The _Massacre Princess_ was the epithet now given to her sole blood sibling, Euphemia li Britannia. It would be one thing if it was just that, but Zero was the one who had taken Euphy’s life.

His identity had been a shock to learn. She had wanted to know the name of the terrorist who dared raise an army against Britannia, to murder one of their princes, and even defeat her in open battle. But then when she did, she regretted that desire.

The truth, one hidden from the world, was that Zero was once a rising star within the Imperial Family, and perhaps the brother she loved most. She had learned, defeated and betrayed and bleeding atop the Government Bureau building in Tokyo, that Zero was the former Eleventh Prince and Seventeenth Heir to the Imperial Throne—Lelouch vi Britannia. She remembered coming face to face with him, red and violet glaring down at her. He and his sister Nunnally had remained in hiding for seven long years, avoiding all attempts to locate them.

Cornelia hated that she had once mourned Lelouch’s passing. If she had known what he would become, she would’ve hunted him down herself and ended his life before he could’ve ended Clovis’. And in that same manner, she hated that she was proud of her brother. His conviction, his strategy, his masterful command of oration and charisma—had he returned to the fold, he could’ve been her and Schneizel combined, a potent threat against their enemies. A worthy heir to their father, even.

She was also deeply, greatly disappointed by what he had become.

She sipped from her goblet once more, scanning the crowd. The Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, had called for this gathering as a grand celebration. What for, she couldn’t fathom given the failure the defense of the Tokyo Settlement had been. The death of Zero, perhaps? It was a shame that they would be executing Lelouch, but it was the only fitting punishment she could think of. Cornelia already had plans to seek out answers about geass, the mysterious power that had corrupted Euphy.

_And speaking of geass and Euphy_ , she thought bitterly as the newest member of the Rounds stalked towards her. She wouldn’t admit it to his face, but Suzaku Kururugi looked as though he was born to wear the white suit and dark cloak of his new station. Many gave him a wide berth, being a Number.

“Sir Kururugi,” Cornelia stated, scowling at the new Knight of Seven. She held up a hand to prevent her knight, Sir Guilford, from speaking.

“Princess Cornelia,” he replied, a hint of color seeping away at her attention. She kept her face impassive, despite the pleasure she felt over his reaction.

“Tell me,” she began, frowning at Suzaku, “what did you do to convince my father to make you a Knight of the Rounds?”

“I was the one who captured Zero, and his deadliest associate.”

“The pilot of the _Guren_?”

Cornelia had only learned the name of the dangerous and mysterious red Knightmare employed by Zero after the incidents on Shikine and Kaminejima. Both, especially the latter, left a foul taste in her mouth. Her sister had been at the mercy of Zero for a day, according to the after report Suzaku finalized following the Battle of Kyūshū. Whether Lelouch had used geass on Euphy there or in the G-1, she didn’t care anymore. She only wished to learn the truth of that horrid power, and destroy any who possessed it with _great_ prejudice.

“Yes,” Suzaku replied. He kept his voice low. “I believe Zero recruited her during their time together at Ashford Academy. She went by the name of Kallen Stadtfeld during her attendance, though she confessed to me on Kamine that her true name was Kōzuki—and that she identified as Japanese.”

Cornelia pursed her lips. Kururugi was a fool to not turn her in immediately, but he had that naïve optimism that made Euphy so precious. She knew the name _Stadtfeld_ , for Earl Reese Stadtfeld was one of several nobles who had to divorce his foreign wife following the Second Pacific War. Nearly all of them had connections to technology and industrial conglomerates. A few tried to remain with their foreign wives in defiance of national policy.

Those fools were executed.

“A half-blood, then,” she noted. “A shame she chose _that_ side, given her pedigree and skill. She would’ve made a fine Round.”

Suzaku nodded, even as his eyebrows furrowed. Before he could say anything else, the national anthem was trumpeted for those present. They shifted about, turning so they could face the throne set at the head of the chamber, where three banners of Britannia—the red cross of St. Darwin upon blue, a crowned crest of a striking serpent and a snarling lion upon the center—hung.

One of the dozen imperial guards before them announced, “Presenting His Imperial Majesty of the Holy Britannian Empire, the 98th Emperor of the Realm, the Anointed of St. Darwin, Charles zi Britannia!”

The crowd fell silent, shifting into makeshift rows and columns as the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire strode forth to speak to them. He was tall and muscular, retaining his youthful strength even after a half-century of rule. Her father had been the one to ascend to the throne in the wake of the Emblem of Blood, a torrid chapter in their history that nearly ended the Imperial Family.

_It’s for the best that Lelouch was stopped,_ Cornelia realized, reflecting upon their father’s rise to power and a few of the more disturbing similarities between father and son. _Else he may have done as Father did and rise to the throne upon a tide of blood. Though it makes me wonder if his followers—Elevens, mere Numbers—would have continued to support him once he became the Emperor of Britannia. Maybe the Guren girl would’ve, but then she would be a countess, had she not rebelled against her proper name._

Charles settled into his throne before he spoke. “All men are not created equal,” he began, booming and authoritative. Several nobles and courtiers straightened as though shocked by a great current. “That is the creed of our great nation. It reminds us that the only men worth remembering are those with the strength to rise above the rest. Those with the courage to dare what the weak cannot even fathom. One month ago, we proved our great strength and overwhelming courage in defeating the masked warlord who called himself Zero.

“He dared to challenge our might, and we found him lacking. While this Zero displayed cunning, he was weak! In his moment of victory, it was stolen from him by a foolish and sentimental heart! He allowed enemies he failed to expect to snatch away what he thought precious, and thus forced his hand to create his own failure!”

Cornelia’s heart clenched. _Nunnally_. If she knew her father as well as she did, she knew Zero’s identity would be revealed this very night. Even so, she was uncertain about how he would do so. She glanced around the chamber and noticed that Schneizel’s gaze was fixated not upon their father, but upon the rear of the chamber, where those summoned could enter. If she did not possess the discipline of a seasoned battle commander, she would’ve gasped at the sight that compelled attention from her brother.

_What the hell are—_

“And then Zero was brought before me by our newest Knight of the Round!” the Emperor continued, grinning. A few glanced at Sir Kururugi, but most remained focused upon their liege. “Along with the masked warlord was brought his most faithful supporter, the one some named in whispers as the _red death_ , who followed him from their doomed battlefield of the Tokyo Concession! Unmasked, their true identities laid bare to me, I was amused and ultimately pleased by who I discovered, those who possessed the conviction to fight me, and nearly win.

“Behold, the truth of what it takes to challenge Britannia!”

Charles zi Britannia raised a hand, gesturing towards the same place two of his children had been staring. Cornelia noticed a shift in the crowd as two figures strode forward, passing through a widening gap in the center.

One was regal, dressed in a suit of royal purple and gold trim, pointed shoes clicking with every step. A great, sweeping cape of midnight black trimmed in blood red flowed from his shoulders. Lelouch vi Britannia made zero effort to cover his mark of geass, heterochromatic eyes of violent red and royal purple staring out with demonic amusement. His black hair was styled just as it had the last time he was before the court, some eight years ago.

Upon his arm was Kallen Kōzuki, his _fiend_. She was dressed in blood red; a dress seemingly designed not for a ball, but for pitched battle. There were cuts through the skirt that revealed mesh along her legs, and there appeared to be blade-resistant materials sown into her corset. A pitch-black cape covered her shoulders and fluttered behind her, covering a sword—an Eleven design, Cornelia noted with distaste—at her waist. While some of her red hair framed her face and piercing blue eyes, most was drawn back into a low tail, bound with shimmering stone.

The crowd murmured, watching them. Some, Cornelia expected, were outraged such dangerous figures were allowed to walk among them as Lelouch and Kallen did. But it was the royals who figured out the identity of the man first.

“Lelouch?” asked Crown Prince Odysseus eu Britannia, stepping away from the rest so he could come face to face with his brother. “Is that truly you?”

“It is, brother,” drawled Lelouch. “I have returned from the very depths of hell, committing transgressions you could not fathom.”

“Why didn’t you return after Japan was made into Area 11?”

He sneered, his eldritch left eye glowing. “Nunnally would not have been safe, then. Now is a different matter.” And with that, he stepped past Odysseus, Lelouch’s knight almost gleeful in the curt dismissal of the Crown Prince. She, unlike her prince, found amusement in the uncomfortable atmosphere filling the chamber.

“I’m surprised by Kallen’s behavior,” muttered Suzaku.

Cornelia turned to the knight besides her. She didn’t need to glance over to know that Sir Guilford was glaring at the newest Round.

“How so?”

Suzaku blinked, glancing at the princess. “I guess it’s mostly that I’m shocked by how open with her emotions she’s being. She never came across that way at Ashford, but then I suspect she was hiding who she truly was.”

“Like Lelouch?”

“Lelouch deceived me, even when I suspected he could be Zero,” Suzaku muttered, still pained by the truth. “Hopefully Euphy receives justice tonight.”

_I would not expect Father to do so_ , Cornelia thought grudgingly. She couldn’t trust the Emperor to trouble with seeking justice for Euphemia. After all, this was the same man who allowed the real assassin of his beloved consort and her idol, Marianne vi Britannia, to escape justice. It was safer to assume he would do something perverse, like to reward Lelouch for killing off both the Third Prince and Princess.

Lelouch and his knight stopped before the Emperor. Cornelia felt troubled as they kneeled, a fist coming up to rest over their hearts. They should be executed for their crimes, yet they acted as though they were loyal, useful subjects of the Empire.

“We are yours to command, Your Majesty.”

“Rise and turn, so all may see your faces,” commanded the Emperor. They complied and he continued. “Britannia, the world beyond, see for yourselves those who proved the greatest threat to our dominion since the bastard Napoleon. The one who was Zero, the man behind a mask of revolution, is the Eleventh Prince and Seventeenth Heir to the Imperial Throne, Lelouch vi Britannia, son of my late consort, Marianne the Flash! His knight, the _red death_ , is Kallen Stadtfeld, Heiress to the Earldom of Detroit! Look upon their faces, those of you who are not Britannian, and tremble! It requires Britannian blood, Britannian _spirit_ , to stand against our great empire with even the faintest hope of victory!

“Now, face me once more.”

Cornelia frowned as Lelouch and Kallen spun to face Charles zi Britannia. Her jaw clenched as she tried to figure out what her father was thinking. The two should be made an example of, though she feared the example she thought of and the one her father had in mind were as different as night and day. Her father, their emperor, was acting in a manner she had not expected, and these occurrences worried her.

“You have proven yourself to be my son, Lelouch, striding ahead of many of your siblings to display your capacity in war and power. Your mother would be pleased by your great feats, and while you fought against me, I have been impressed by what you did accomplish in the face of your inevitable failure before the might of Britannia.

“Name three wishes, and I shall grant what I believe worthy of your accomplishments.”

“Area 11,” Lelouch immediately demanded to rippling outrage. “As Zero, I rallied a broken people back to life, reviving what had been dead and renewing it with vigor. As Viceroy, I will turn that power into one that will benefit the Empire. I will succeed where Clovis and Cornelia both failed, and pacify the area I called home for many years.”

While she felt indignant, it was nothing compared to the expression upon Sir Kururugi’s face. Cornelia noticed that he was rigid, expression furious. It was likely that the young man sought nothing more than to put his sword through Lelouch’s heart because of his demand. Or perhaps it was something more, something of ambition and an ignorant nobility of character.

_Did you think to become the Knight of One then?_ Cornelia nearly chuckled at the idea. _The only child of the Emperor living who would consider granting you that title is Nunnally, though Lelouch may have once considered it. You will be fortunate if his knight does not kill you instead, when you inevitably insult him._

_Should he somehow become Emperor, he would be smart to make that woman of his the Imperial Consort, or even Empress proper, instead of a Knight of the Round._

“Granted, _Viceroy_ Lelouch vi Britannia. What is your second wish?”

“To formally knight Lady Kallen before this audience. She has served me well across many battlefields while I was under the guise of Zero. Shinjuku. Narita. Port Yokosuka. Shikine Island. Tokyo. As Kōzuki Kallen of the Black Knights, she was my knight of honour amongst the pale illusion of Britannia I constructed from those who opposed our Empire. Now that she is free to be Lady Kallen Stadtfeld once more, I would be remiss not to reward her tremendous loyalty and devotion, along with the blazing streak of blood she carved through my foes.”

Charles zi Britannia chuckled. “Granted, though you will not knight her until you are set to depart my presence.” He turned to Kallen, strangely amused. “Congratulations on your impending knighthood, Lady Stadtfeld.”

She beamed. “You honour us both, Your Majesty.”

“And what of your third wish?” asked the Emperor, lips slowly widening into a smirk.

“The succession for the Imperial Throne,” Lelouch declared to a hushed audience. “Name _me_ the Crown Prince over my siblings.”

Cornelia nearly shouted at Lelouch, then and there. Her stomach collapsed into crushing despair at the request, horrified by what it could mean. If he became Crown Prince, then justice would never be served for what happened to Euphy. Her hands clenched, glaring at the brother she had once loved. She would need to forget her plans to track down others with geass and learn more of its filth. It had already infested Pendragon, even if only in one person.

She wasn’t the only one, she noticed. Odysseus appeared ready to protest the stripping of his birthright, while Guinevere and Carine glowered at Lelouch. Several more of their siblings looked on with contempt, hating Lelouch more because of his mother than his own actions. Schneizel, unsurprisingly, merely watched on with curious interest.

“Oh?” inquired Emperor Charles, amused. “Why should I name you, a rebellious child, as my heir? Certainly I have children better suited for the throne than you.”

“Geass.” The single word silenced the mutterings and murmurings that had built up from Lelouch’s third wish. “I am the only one of your children who possesses the power of geass—the Power of Kings. My mind is made up, Father. You could not have come out from era of the Emblem of Blood without its power. That I possess it is the reason I shall succeed you, either by your decree or in the manner you ascended to the throne. It is the true power behind the throne.”

Cornelia was ready to step forward and denounce Lelouch when their father began to chuckle. It started quiet, in his chest, but slowly grew louder and louder until his laugh filled the chamber. When the Emperor finally stopped, he gazed at Lelouch with a pleased grin, his eyes glowing red with the foul power possessed by the prince before them.

_No…_

_No!_

_No, it can’t be!_

And then Kururugi, still besides her, muttered in dismay, “Lelouch remembered? I thought the Emperor made him forget that…”

Cornelia glanced at the young man by her side with contempt. He too knew more of geass, and kept it secret. She would have to interrogate him on the matter. It was disgusting, he was willing to keep any secrets concerning the foul power that stole away Euphemia.

Emperor Charles zi Britannia stood, arms spreading slightly, palms gestured towards those present. “Quell the insurrections in Area 11, and I will make you Crown Prince. Prove that you are truly my son, as I believe you are.”

.

**.**

.

_27 days prior…_

.

Charles stared down at the pair brought before him as prisoners. He had known since the beginning that Lelouch was Zero. Clovis had informed him of who had killed him, and Charles was honestly impressed by his errant, wayward son. Not only had Lelouch embarrassed his elder brother, but he had also acquired the Power of Kings. What did surprise him was seeing the half-blood daughter of Earl Stadtfeld besides his son. He had known for some time that she had gotten tangled in Lelouch’s web, but to see her present was not what he had expected for his son’s eventual fall. It did answer his curiosity about the devicer for the Knightmare he heard the nobility called the _red death_.

Them together meant he couldn’t go through with what he had first planned: to merely modify Lelouch’s memory and turn him into nothing more than bait for C.C. They could both still be used—he was certain of that—but his tactics would need to change. Perhaps instead of sealing memories, he could manipulate them.

“The former Eleventh Prince and Seventeenth Heir to the Imperial Throne, Lelouch vi Britannia,” drawled Charles. He smirked at the fury in Lelouch’s gaze, the forlorn look in the Lancelot devicer’s eyes, and the fracturing panic in the Stadtfeld girl’s. “And Lady Kallen Stadtfeld, Heiress to the Earldom of Detroit. I have been expecting you two, though I thought you might surprise me and come on your feet as conquerors.”

While the girl only glowered at him— _she has fire, just like Marianne. He’s more like me than I thought_ —both of the young men were shocked. Lelouch recovered from the surprise, for Charles could see in his single visible eye the sudden calculations he was making. An eye patch covered his left, hiding the burning sigil of geass.

_Even now, upon your knees, you still plot and scheme, my son. Your mother would be proud._

“You knew, Your Majesty?” asked the Lancelot’s devicer. It took Charles a good moment to remember the boy had also been Euphemia’s knight, the son of Japan’s final prime minister.

_The fool knight of a fool girl who gave me a grand opportunity to test Lelouch’s resolve,_ he thought. _Yet…_

It had been his brother’s work to ensure Lelouch’s geass evolved into permanence in that exact moment as he made a foolish, flippant comment to explain his power. Charles had been quite pleased by the incident, especially with the conviction the boy had displayed afterwards. Lelouch had gone as far as to declare the formation of a new nation, and could have even taken the Concession. It may have been a fool’s errand in the end, but it was the same path he would’ve taken.

_Though once the Sword of Akasha is ready, it won’t matter._

“I have known Lelouch was Zero since he announced himself, thanks to Clovis,” Charles pronounced, amused by the shock and confusion of the three before them. He was pleased when Lelouch’s confusion morphed into contemplation, as though it was merely a puzzle he needed to figure out. “I have known of the girl’s treachery since the death of her brother…and the actions her father took to secure his body. I did not think it of interest at the time, but even I can be wrong.”

“Your Majesty,” the knight began, preventing his captives from speaking. “I wish to join the Knights of the Round, the twelve strongest warriors of your realm.”

_You think to become the Knight of One then, boy?_ Charles thought, remaining impassive. _A fool’s errand for one like you, but one I can use here and now. If you do I as command, I will allow it, if only to keep you close at hand._

“You traitor!”

The Emperor was quite surprised, and a tad pleased, that it was the Stadtfeld girl who hissed those two words out. Whatever fury his son had was tempered by what had been revealed to him. The girl, instead, was pure fire and passion, ready and willing to blaze into an inferno.

“Your way was wrong, Kallen,” the knight stated, unshaken. “I gave you the option to flee—I even offered a chance to side with Britannia—but you chose to stand with Lelouch.” He glanced down. “You will face the punishment for your crimes.”

“So this is your true self, then?” asked Lelouch. Charles leaned back, curious as to what mind game his son would play. “You will betray whoever you must to get ahead? First your father, and now us? I wonder what Euphemia wou—”

“DON’T SPEAK HER NAME!” he bellowed, slamming Lelouch’s face into the floor. “Never speak of Euphemia again, you snake! Not after what you’ve done!”

Lelouch began to giggle, his laughter slowly evolving into the kind of maniacal laughter that Charles couldn’t help but be proud of. The Stadtfeld girl watched on with an expression that spoke of her questioning devotion. It seemed, to Charles, that the girl sought a reason to regain her faith in Lelouch, as if he could create the miracle of escaping the Imperial Palace.

_Perhaps if I once more gave them common cause_ , he considered. Of his children, only Lelouch truly had a right to call himself the son of Charles zi Britannia. Schneizel, for all of his potential, was a snake taken human form. The rest were disappointments, unworthy of his imperial throne.

“I shall allow you to join the Knights of the Round, though you must perform two more tasks for me,” Charles declared, slowly rising to his feet.

“What do you command, Your Majesty?” asked Euphemia’s failed knight, shoving down Lelouch.

“Keep my son pinned down and raise Lady Stadtfeld’s head so I may look down upon her,” ordered the Emperor of Britannia. “I have use for these two, and I wish for Lelouch to see what shall become of him shortly.”

“As you command,” the knight agreed, weak and pedantic. Were Charles the kind of man to give into his geass, to allow it to turn rampant and have power over him as it did with his son, he would’ve laughed at the pathetic shade Euphemia’s knight had become. His eyes briefly glazed over the knight’s, and with the assistance of his own geass, he remembered that the young man’s name was Suzaku Kururugi.

_The son of Genbu Kururugi, the man who dared oppose me over something as trite as sakuradite. A boy who murdered his father, and became a puppet easy to use and manipulate._

He approached them, towering over the Stadtfeld girl, staring down into her blue eyes. He saw terror, a sense of hopelessness, her doubt turning into a plague upon her mind. _Fear not, girl, for I shall wash it away—and make you into what you should have been._

“For you, Lady Stadtfeld, I shall take away your fear and doubt,” Charles boomed. He grinned at her flinch. “I shall modify your memories to make you a loyal knight of Britannia, sworn to the lord I shall give you to. His will shall be yours.”

_You are already loyal to him, so it shall not be a stretch to make these changes. I only need to adjust your familial connections…_

She squeaked as his eyes changed colors, the burning red of geass alit in his gaze.

“No… It can’t be. Geass?” muttered his son, watching in horror from his spot on the floor. “You have _that_?”

The Emperor ignored his errant son’s words.

“I, Charles zi Britannia, engrave into you…false memories of a false life!” he boomed, raising his arms and enlarging his menacing figure. It had been clear to the Emperor just where Zero had gotten his fantastic showmanship.

“Stop, stop!” pleaded the Stadtfeld girl, crying. Her eyes widened, realizing what he was stripping from her. “No…not my mother…not her. Not…not… _Onii-chan_!” With a final scream, his geass took affect and she passed out, slumping onto the ground. When she would awake once more, Charles knew she would no longer be the rebellious Kallen Kōzuki, but the loyal Kallen Stadtfeld.

He turned to Lelouch. “Sir Kururugi, hold my errant son as you did with Lady Stadtfeld.” Charles watched as the knight did as he was commanded, raising Lelouch’s head so red could stare down into solitary violet.

“You are dead,” Lelouch hissed. “I shall take your fine clothes and your food, your very life even, and erase your legacy from the face of the world!”

Charles smirked, allowing his eyes to burn brightly with geass. “And upon you, my errant son, I shall erase the memories that made you turn against me. You shall remember your mother, you shall remember Nunnally, I will even allow you to remember being Zero, but it will have all been done not to destroy Britannia, but for your new ambition—one suited to my child with the greatest promise.”

“What?” Lelouch whispered. “What do you have to gain from this?”

“A worthy son, instead of the unworthy one I see before me now. I, Charles zi Britannia, engrave into you…”

Euphemia’s knight held tightly as Lelouch thrashed, cursing Charles, swearing a promise of vengeance. The knight was impassive, detached from what occurred before him. _A fool, though a useful one,_ reflected Charles.

“…memories of a false life!”


End file.
